Flat sheets of corrugated paperboard, sometimes referred to as blanks, have been used for many years as the starting material to form containers. Corrugated paperboard generally refers to a multi-layer sheet material comprised of two sheets of liner bonded to a central corrugated layer. Containers formed from corrugated paperboard are sometimes referred to as corrugated boxes. Over ninety percent of all goods in most developed countries are shipped in corrugated boxes.
One style of corrugated box is the slotted box style. Slotted boxes may be formed from one or more pieces of corrugated paperboard (blanks). A blank may include portions that will form sides (including side panels and end panels) of a box as well as one or more sets of flaps, for example flaps that may form the top and/or bottom of the box. A blank may be scored and slotted to permit folding and/or erecting. A blank that has been erected into a box may form a joint at the point where one side panel and one end panel of the blank and/or box are brought together.
Boxes may be shipped flat (not erected) to a user. When a box is needed, a box user may erect (fold and/or “square up” and/or open) the box, insert product into the box and close any top flaps. A half slotted container (HSC) is a style of slotted container that may include a single set of flaps, for example flaps that form the bottom of the container. An HSC may have an open top and/or no top flaps.